


The Good Times Are Over

by astrokyle



Category: Paladins: Champions Of The Realm (Video Game)
Genre: A Zhin backstory I had on my mind at the time, Crying, Fan Lore, Friendship, I wrote this over a year ago, M/M, Pre-War, Sha Lin and Zhin can be seen as platonic, Zhins dad sucks, highschool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 17:02:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18743287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrokyle/pseuds/astrokyle
Summary: The king had been killed, a curse sent for his revenge. Although the king was not the only thing that fell with the 3 green bullets.A Zhin backstory AU





	The Good Times Are Over

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! i wrote this awhile ago and i’m just now moving it from amino to my ao3!! i’m so talented
> 
> anyway: this story is a zhin backstory idea i had, many people may say “oh but this will never happen” and ok i see your point
> 
> but we have no lore in this god forstaken fandom so i made my own
> 
> i wanted some of the favs to interact so i made them do it >:(

Zhins father did not approve of his friend. His first friend. A pink-haired Tigron, with the call of a wild-cat. She was funny and ran faster than all the other kids in his class. He had made Zhin stop- stop being friends with her.  
  
He didn’t want to. He thought it was unfair.   


He always did everything father asked without question. Practice your Swordsmanship. Practice your Calligraphy. Practice your stance, Practice, Practice, Practice. He had learned not to disobey. So _why_ ?   
  
Why couldn’t father let him have this one thing?   
  
He stopped being her friend.   
  
He had to avoid her for days, ignore all her attempts at conversations, push her class notes aside, eventually, he broke. He couldn’t take all the sad stares, he just-  wanted to be her friend- wanted her to stop trying.   
  
He had ripped up her drawing, it was of him smiling at the viewer, it was ugly and one arm was longer than the other but he loved it.   
  
“You’re annoying, leave me alone!” he choked at her. She had cried and told all the other kids he was mean, not to talk to him.   
  
They didn’t.   
  
—

  
By the next year, his 4th year, all the kids had forgotten about the incident with the cat-eyed girl. He met a boy, Sha-Lin. He was.. weird. Peppy and Optimistic, had an odd sass to him. He wasn’t scared off by Zhins colder demeanor. He talked right through the silent tension the other kids couldn’t seem to break.   
  
He didn’t tell his father about this one.   
  
—

  
The next year Sha-Lin had friends lined up.   
  
Although, he never left Zhins side, he introduced him to all the girls that giggled as they sat at their table, kept him in the conversation.   
  
One day, a girl with pointed ears had sat in front them. Her face was all fierce determination, an aura of seriousness radiating around her.   
  
He had seen that face many times on his own father, only much more rough and cold, hers was surprising warm.   
  
“Listen up butt-munches!” her hands slammed on the table, eyes darting from Zhin to Sha-lin. “You need to stay away from my friend.”   
  
“And why’s that?” Zhin cursed his friends rashness, this girl was definitely all bark and all bite.   
  
“He’s becoming a butt-munch like you!” her finger flew towards Sha-Lins face, brown hair swiping at her green shirt, “and I don’t like it.”   
  
The three were a trio by the end of the week.   
  
—

  
7th year was rough. Zhin’s mother died. He’d wanted to stay home from school. His father didn’t allow it. He went feeling awful, like he wanted join his mother, he couldn’t get her face out of his mind.   
  
In science they talked about forest fires and Zhin had run out of the room. His mother used fire magic. It was gorgeous and gentle, and warm, and- and _gone_ . He’d never see it again.   
  
Sha-Lin had run after him, “Zhin!”   
  
He’d broken down, crying next to some random kids locker, he still remembers the number. _259_

  
“Zhin,” Sha-Lin had rushed up and grabbed him by the arms, “Zhin, what’s wrong?”   
  
Zhin just shook his head, his shorter black hair catching on his wet cheeks. He couldn’t tell him even if he wanted too, the only thing spilling out of his mouth were sobs, cries he tried to muffle.   
  
Eventually he managed to choke out his reply, Sha-Lin immediately wrapped his arms around him. They sat in the hall until the bell rang and his friend had to drag him to the bathroom.   
  
He blocked his view from anyone that walked in, and they stayed when the tardy bell went off.   
  
“Do you wanna talk about it?”   
  
He had shook his head at that ground.   
  
“You know, I had a sister.” Zhin had looked up at that. “She wanted to be a superhero, a vigilante. Save the world with her bow and arrow,” he had laughed, “God, she could barely shoot that thing.”   
  
Zhin met Sha-Lin’s eyes, a silent ‘what happened?’ in the air. The shorter boy smiled at him, “She died.” his lips pushed to together, “It happened.. before the king.”   
  
_Before the king,_ When the tyrant ruled, the streets were far more dangerous, magic had no rules, and crimes had no repercussions if it didn’t affect the important pupil. The death rate of people was at an all time high when his father ruled.   
  
“She- she had been walking home from school and—,” he inhales and Zhin squeezes his wrist, “Someone stabbed her, twice, once in the shoulder and another in the stomach- they say she struggled.”   
  
A silence hangs in the room. Zhin hates it, usually Sha’ doesn’t shut up, it’s one of the things he likes most about him.   
  
“We found her in an alley, hours later, tons of people had to of past her and- and they just didn’t give a shit Zhin.”   
  
—

  
8th year, Zhin’s hair was down past his shoulders. His father said his hair was like his honor, to cut it would be horrible for both their prides.   
  
He didn’t want to forsake his pride, honor, nor his father, but the dragon in his english class was becoming quite the problem. For days the red creature would call him girly and weak.   
  
What that had to do with the length of his hair he had no idea. Most men in his village wore them at lengths longer than his.   
  
Although, he did notice that most of the other boys- men, at his school kept it much closer cropped.   
  
There was no Sha’ or Ying to protect him this time, both off in their own classes, not to be seen again until lunch.   
  
Soon the Orc that sat next to him joined in too. Their words brought a sour taste to his mouth, he just wanted them to stop.   
  
And stop they did. The next week a tall kid, one with thick eyebrows, a sharp jawline, and flirty accent joined the class. His ponytail swept two inches further than Zhins.   
  
“What shampoo do you use! Your hair is so soft!”   
  
He had a new problem named Fernando.   
  
When Sha’ and Ying had heard of the pair that caused him trouble he had barely been able to keep them back.   
  
Sha’s short hair suddenly stopped getting cut from that day on.   
  
—

  
Fernando, Zhin learned, also asked a lot of questions, “What’s your father like?”   
  
“What kind of question is that?”   
  
“I dunno’ you just seem very.. manly, definitely a daddy’s boy.” Which was completely wrong.   
  
Sha’ had sent him a look from across the lunch table ‘do you want me to beat him up?’ but at the same time, he looked intrigued by the question.   
  
Zhin didn’t share much about his family.   
  
“He’s like a father, i guess.” He replied, shoving a fry in his mouth and excusing himself to the restroom.   
  
—

  
Ninth year was a realm high. Everyone was happy, all the people were at peace, there were no more sides like there was 8 years ago.   
  
Fernando joined their trio, making it more of a Quintet, as he brought along the fiery Cassie with him.   
  
The 5 were.. close. Zhin was happier than he had been for a long time. The loss of his mother finally fading where he could go weeks without thinking about it.   
  
They wanted to meet his father, already known about his mother, but he did not think that was a great idea. He told them he was on business trips a lot, he stayed with a caretaker.   
  
They all started high school together, having most classes together, they made more.. unique friends and they even met their first fae. She was shrill and eccentric, but nice overall.   
  
There was the.. fox(?) in math, he had liked to call Zhin dude and bro, Cassie laughed and exclaimed, “Dude! Oh my god!” He didn’t know how to feel about it at the time.   
  
His magic teacher was Half-Elf and part something he assumed was giant, he was at least 6’9” and had some cyborg gauntlet dressing him arm.

 He even experienced more of the most useless of conversations.     
  
“Ying totally has a crush on that Andy kid in our Biology class.”   
  
Zhin scoffed, “Whatever you say princess.”   
  
—

  
By Zhins tenth year in school, the world had reached a boiling point. The king had been killed, a curse sent for his revenge. Although the king was not the only thing that fell with the 3 green bullets.   
  
No longer were magi and knights simply getting along. Dragons grew greedy and orcs, no longer kept at bay by kings command, became restless. Thievery was no longer a rare occurrence, Vulpine and Tigron seen dashing through the city, sacks on their back as goblins yell after them.   
  
Witches and Faes lose sanity, their unguarded magic driving them to the brink of madness.   
  
Power flows through the air, humans at a loss, lose population. Many getting hit with unwanted changes, unwanted bodies. Tree-ents and terrapin gain in numbers.   
  
The school system broke, no need for an education in this broken government. Someone needs to rise to power.   
  
“Zhin! This is what you’ve been training for!” his father squeezes his wrist, it hurts. “This is my- your time to rise to power, to take back our legacy.”   
  
“Become the Tyrant the world needs.” The king is what it needed.   
  
“Finish what we started.” What did you start?   
  
“Get rid of all the filthy magic users.” Mother was a magic user.   
  
“Make the world a better place, Zhin.” For us maybe.   
  
—

  
Eleventh Year Zhin watches Sha-Lin, Ying, Fernando, and Cassie’s backs, watches as they leave, their heads held low, hands grabbing for one another. He sees the bow of a superhero, the aura of a healer, the fire of a damage, the protection of a leader. He sees his friends going out to make the difference he wishes he could make.   
  
Sha’ turns and stares, meets his eye. He bites his lip and pleads back the tears as Sha-Lin’s own falls. Only when his frie- when ying tugs him to turn around does he blink, does he let himself go.   
  
He grabs his alcohol and pours it on his sword.   
  
The king had fallen and the realm went with him.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!!  
> i love comments <3  
> feedback is appreciated 
> 
> owo


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